


No One's Going To Stop Them (Especially Not His Mom)

by datgayrainboww



Series: YamaKage Week 2017 [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, YamaKage Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-25 22:59:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12046086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/datgayrainboww/pseuds/datgayrainboww
Summary: Kageyama's mother hated soulmates. And therefore, she prohibited Tobio from ever interacting with his. However, that was when he was younger.Now he's in college and he can do whatever ever he wants. And if what he wants is to finally contact his soulmate... well, no one's going to stop him.





	No One's Going To Stop Them (Especially Not His Mom)

**Author's Note:**

> Day Two - September 9 - **Soulmates** /Comfort/ **College**
> 
> A soulmate au where whatever you write on your skin appears on that of your soulmate's. Likewise if you erase or wash something off, it will disappear from their skin as well.

Kageyama first noticed the strange markings when he was four years old. They had probably been happening for quite awhile before then, but that was the first time he truly paid them any attention.

“Momma,” He asked, toddling up to her like young children do. “Why is my arm green?”

“I don't know Tobio. Have you been playing with the markers again?” She asked disapprovingly, barely sparing her son a glance.

“No, Momma.” He said. “I've been playing with blocks.

At that his mother paused in her reading and looked down at him curiously. That was right. She remembered heading his tower topple only. Few minutes prior. And besides, the markers were hidden up high, where she would have heard of he tried to climb and get them. Unfortunately, that only left one explanation.

Hastily shoving her book to the side, she stood and grabbed his son’s arm, dragging him to the sink. Wetting a wash rag, she lathered it with soap and began roughly scrubbing at the green smears on her son’s arm.

“Tobio, listen to me.” She said as she worked. “If mqrkings like these happen again, you must immediately wash them off. They are ugly stains and no one wants to see them. They are placed on your skin by the devil and only fools display them, so be sure to always hide them or wash them away. And even when you're older, if words start to appear, you are never supposed to respond. It's a trap Tobio.”

“But Momma, I don't understand.” Tobio whimpered, slightly scared by the combination of his mother's words and actions. The markings had seemed harmless and all this scrubbing was starting to hurt.

“You don't have to understand Tobio. You just have to obey.” She said rinsing off his arm to appear the clear skin that she had scrubbed pink. “Am I clear son?”

“Yes Momma.” He nodded meekly.

“Good. Now go play.”

“Yes Momma.” He repeated before running off to rebuild his block tower.

\-------

When Kageyama was seven, they covered soulmates in class. It was confusing. He finally had a more clear explanation for the markings and yet it seemed to contradict everything his mother ever said. Still, all the other kids were excitedly scribbling on their arms and nothing seemed to be happening to them.

_Perhaps I should do the same._ He thought only to remember the first time he had noticed his markings.

His mother had been so mad and he didn't want to make her angry like that ever again. Besides, she had said they were bad and she must be right. Mother was always right.

Or at least, that's what seven year old Tobio thought.

\--------

When Tobio entered junior high and began playing volleyball, he learned something new about soulmates; they were an inconvenience.

Sure wiping off all the markings had gotten a tad bit annoying over the years, but he had gotten used to it. However, now it was just plain out frustrating. His coach didn't let you play if you had visible markings on your skin and while Kageyama could wash it all off before practice, he couldn't stop it from randomly appearing during it. Not unless he actually messaged his mysterious soulmate. And Kageyama didn't want to do that.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have a choice.

It was after his soulmate had drawn constellations on their cheeks in what felt like a weird game of connect the dots that his coach finally confronted him. He told Tobio that unless he got his soulmate under control, he would be suspended from playing. Arguably that was a little harsh, but for Kageyama, it was the worst possible punishment. And so he decided to write to his soulmate. After all, it was only a one time thing and it wasn't like his mother was going to magically find out.

So after practice one day, while his mother was still busy at work, he decided to go ahead and get it over with. Uncapping a marker, he made sure it was washable before hesitantly pressing it to his skin.

"Excuse me," He wrote, struggling to be polite. "can you please stop writing on me so much? My coach doesn't like any visible markings during practice or games."

It took a few minutes and then, his soulmate responded.

"You exist!!" The words were written in a slightly messy scrawl. "I was beginning to think that I was just talking to myself. But I guess that couldn't technically be possible since you always wash everything off. Although since you just explained why you had to do that, I'll be sure to start writing in more discreet places. By the way, why haven't you written to me before? Are you shy?"

His soulmate was either naturally talkative or just very excited to finally get a response. Although that last one didn't make very much sense since no one was ever excited to talk to him. Not unless they didn't know him. But even then, they were always disappointed once they did. 

And Kageyama didn't want to disappoint his stranger of soulmate, so perhaps it's a good thing he didn't plan to continue talking.

Startled out of his thoughts by the sound of a car door slamming, he frantically glanced out the window. His mother had arrived. A quick look at his arm told him that there were several more lines of text, but unfortunately he didn't have time to read them. No, he had to wash them off before his mother saw.

\--------

There was a spike in the markings after Kageyama's message, but true to their world, his soulmate kept all those markings hidden. They switched from doing it on their arms and legs to writing and drawing on their stomach and chest. Places that could easily be covered. They rambled a lot, asking countless questions in the hope that Tobio would one day respond. But, he never did and eventually his soulmate's excitement wore out.

The markings began to taper off and then almost one year after their first and only interaction, Kageyama's soulmate gave up. They stopped writing random little messages and useless trivia facts. They stopped covering his skin with flowers and constellations made of stars. They just stopped, with their final message being a disappointed goodbye. And while Kageyama was relieved that he no longer had to waste time scrubbing off his skin, he couldn't help but feel a little bit hurt.

But whatever, at least it made his mother happy.

\--------

The next time he seriously considered talking to his soulmate, Tobio had just lost the final volleyball game of his junior high career. He was heartbroken, suffering after experiencing the full force of his teammates' rejection and scorn. Even his coach was disappointed with him. He was tempted to ask his soulmate for comfort, for a spark of happiness in his now bleak life, but he couldn't. It wouldn't be fair.

He never comforted his soulmate when they were being bullied. He never offered his soulmate help when they were struggling with homework. He never told them funny stories in an attempt to cheer them up when they were sad. He never did anything for them. The only thing he ever did was provide them with false hope only to immediately ghost.

No, he didn't deserve his soulmate's comfort. Instead he deserved to be exactly where he was right now; lying in bed with his face stuffed into a pillow in a sad attempt to muffle the noise of him crying himself to sleep.

\-------

High school was probably the best part of his life so far. For once, he actually felt like part of a team. He wasn’t just the setter, a sixth player that they only tolerated because he had skills. No, he was actually their friend, a member of the highly dysfunctional Karasuno Volleyball family. And it made him happy, happier than he had ever been before.

But unfortunately it couldn’t last.

The three years flew by fast and then before he knew it, Kageyama found himself standing outside the gym one last time, frantically blinking back tears. Hinata and Yachi were sobbing next to him and Yamaguchi was almost in the same boat. Even Tsukishima didn’t go unaffected, his eyes shining with way more moisture than usual.

However, it was fine. They knew that while this was the end of an era, it wouldn’t be the end of their friendship. They had all exchanged numbers and made plans to meet the next time they were all in town at once. They weren’t going to let college drive them apart, they had bonded too much for that. Yes they would move on with their lives, but they would stay in touch. They won’t forget each other.

And as these thoughts swarmed around in Kageyama’s head, one of them stood out from the rest. Because as Tobio stood there saying temporary good-byes to his best friends, he couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, he should have shown his soulmate half of the resilience that he was showing them.

\---------

College was a different experience. He had grown used to his team at Karasuno and sometimes it almost felt as if he was missing a piece. He missed his friends, even though they still texted regularly, but he was slowly adapting. Especially since Goshiki Tsutomu was both a teammate and his roommate. The boy had never grown out of his bowl cut or his excitable personality that fondly reminded Kageyama of Hinata. So while they didn’t always get along, his presence was a welcomed one.

Not only that, but Iwaizumi-senpai was on his team. He had actually been nice to Tobio during junior high and he was excited that they were finally getting a chance to reconnected.

In fact, it was because of Iwaizumi that Kageyama was prompted to once again, contact his soulmate.

\-------

“Hey Kageyama,” Iwaizumi started one evening when they went to eat after practice. ‘I don’t mean to pry, but what happened to your soulmate?”

“What do you mean?” Kageyama asked after he swallowed his food, tilting his head in confusion.

“I know you’re not a complete idiot. You can’t possibly think that I don’t remember Coach yelling at you in junior high for the soulmate writing covering your skin. And yet, this whole semester, I haven’t seen so much as a spec of ink.”

“Oh,” Kageyama states solemnly, staring at Iwaizumi’s raised eyebrow. “They don’t write to me anymore.”

He says it so monotone, as if he’s stating some sort of obvious fact, but Iwaizumi’s reaction to the words is one of absolute shock.

“Why don’t they talk to you?” He asks, almost sounding personally offended. A tone that doesn’t necessarily leave Tobio too confused since he doubts Iwaizumi can imagine not having Oikawa’s markings. “Did they just abandon you?”

"Actually, I think it was the other way around." Kageyama mutters with a grimace, carefully avoiding looking Iwaizumi in the eye.

"Tobio," Iwaizumi growls. "What did you do?"

"It's more like what didn't I do." He says and Iwaizumi glares, clearly waiting for more details. So Kageyama sighs and begins to explain.

\---------

Approximately five minutes later, after Tobio has explained everything, most of Iwaizumi's anger has seemed to dissolve. Or at least it is not longer directed at him.

"So let me get this straight, this whole thing is because your mother was bitter about her soulmate cheating on her?" He asks, making sure he understood everything clearly.

"Pretty much." Kageyama shrugs, taking a sip of his drink.

"That's bullshit." Iwaizumi stabs at his food in irritation. "No one should keep soulmates apart. Although, you know Kageyama, you're mothers not here to control you anymore."

"What are you saying?" Tobio asks suspiciously, eyes narrowed into slits.

"I'm saying you should try to write to your soulmate again. I'm sure they'll forgive you if you provide an explanation."

"I sincerely doubt it. They probably never want to talk to me again. I'm not sure it would be a good idea."

"You have to at least consider it. After all, they're your soulmate and you never know until you try."

"Maybe..." Kageyama agrees hesitantly, his words trailing off before he sighs. "I'll think about it."

"Good," Iwaizumi smiles. "By the way, have you seen that new action movie? The one with all the aliens? Tooru keeps saying it's amazing, but we all know his opinion is biased."

And just like that the subject has been changed. Changed but not forgotten.

\-------

That's what brought Kageyama to where he was now, sitting in his room with a marker hesitantly pressed to the clear skin on his arm. He's tempted to just not do this, after all Goshiki was out with a friend so it's not like anyone would be there to witness the truth, but Kageyama knows that he has to. He has to at least try and get this soulmate thing resolved or else he will forever be plagued by the many "what ifs?".

Taking a deep breath to steady not only his nerves but also his slightly trembling hand, he slowly writes out a question. "Hello?" He asks, the dark blue ink a stark contrast against his normal skin tone. "Can we please talk?"

"Oh, so now you want to talk." Is the response he gets after a few moments of tense anticipation and Kageyama cringes. He hadn't expected that much of a negative response, but honestly, he probably deserves it. 

"I'm sorry." He writes apologetically and even he can tell that sounds weak, so he quickly follows it up with more. "My mom had a bad experience with soulmates so now she's very against them. She forbid me from ever writing to you and made sure that I washed all the marks off. I know it's not the best excuse, but I'm sorry I put you through all this."

"What's changed now?" His soulmates responds half a minute later and huh, that handwriting is rather different than before. "Why is it suddenly safe to talk to me?"

"Because I'm in college now. I don't live with my mother anymore so she can't control me. Also, a friend told me I would regret it if I never tried to get back into contact and I couldn't disagree. Sorry again."

"No it's fine." His soulmate responds. "You're several years late, but at least we're finally talking."

"Yeah," Tobio agreed. "That's what's important."

\--------

After that they talked everyday. It was awkward at first with only a few sentences being exchanged a day, but as time went on they became more comfortable. The soulmate system didn't allow you to exchange names, so they chose to use their initials instead. Kageyama became K and his soulmate, who he now knew to be male, was Y.

They slowly started to enjoy their constant communication because even while their schedules didn't always sync up, they could still leave messages for the other to read and reply to later. They learned as much as they could about each other, sharing their interests and hobbies only to be delighted when they discovered hey had some in common. Not only that, but it was fun to openly complain about classwork and drama without any judgement. 

Time went on and their friendship became stronger until Kageyama realized that he was secretly wishing for it to become more. And bitterly he also realized that perhaps they would have already been more by now if his mother had never prevented them from talking.

\-------

It wasn't until three months after they had begun talking that they finally got a chance to meet.

"Guess what I found out?" Y scrawled across his arm one day and Kageyama's homework related scowl softened at the sight of the now familiar handwriting.

"What's up?" He responded, genuinely curious.

"I'm visiting your college next week!" His soulmate's writing was spiky with excitement. "We'll finally be able to meet!"

"Wait, really?" Kageyama asks undeniably excited but also hesitant to get his hopes up.

"Yes!" He watches as the characters appear. "I'm going with a couple of friends to surprise an old teammate so I figured it was the perfect chance to meet. Especially since you're on the same team! Ah, wait, forget I said that! Please don't ruin the surprise!"

"Don't worry about it." Tobio reassures him. "After all, you didn't exactly leave a number a number or name."

 

"Right, right." Y responds, accompanying his words with a messy laughing kaomoji.

Tobio drew a simple smiley face in return to match the one on his face before he comes to a sudden realization. Concerned he asks, "Wait, how we will recognize each other?" 

"Um," His soulmate hesitates. "How about I draw a green star on my face? Although I'll only do it if you win."

"Of course I'll win. My team's the best." He writes confidently.

"I'm sure that's true." His soulmates teases before continuing. "Anyway, I unfortunately have to go to class so I guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah," Tobio smiles only mildly disappointed that they can't talk longer. "I'll see you later."

\-------

The week leading up to the game was one full of anticipation. Tobio was determined to win and it showed in his practice habits. He was staying later and working harder, which was saying something since he already been the one working the most. It got to the point that Iwaizumi had to confront him and express his concerns. Of course, once he discovered Kageyama's soulmate was the reason for this burst of dedication he let it go with only a warning not to overwork himself.

And then, finally, the day arrived. Kageyama was confident in his team's skills and he knew his soulmate was as well, so he knew he shouldn't be too nervous. And yet, he couldn't seem to sit still.

What if they did lose and his soulmate refused to meet them? What if they did meet and his soulmate was disappointed? What if Kageyama wasn't what they were expecting? Would they still want to talk to him then?

There were so many concerns running through his head and he couldn't stop pacing until suddenly, a hand clapped down into his shoulder.

"Pull yourself together Kageyama." Iwaizumi tells him. "We won't be able to win if you don't calm down and focus. You're soulmate will love you and if they don't, well that's their fault."

"Right." Kageyama nods solemnly, pushing the frantic thoughts to the back of his mind. "I can't let myself be distracted."

"Good," Iwaizumi looks up at him with a smile. "Now let's go play."

\------

The game went great. Sure, it was pretty close there towards the end but that was all part of the thrill. Especially since it made Kageyama scoring the final point with an arguably petty dump so much more satisfying.

"Good job out there." Iwaizumi grins at him after they had bowed to crowd, shuffled off the court, and received a speech from both their coach and captain.

"Thanks." Kageyama responds, wiping his mouth after a long drink of water. "You also played well."

"Thank you." Iwaizumi says, "Have you heard from your soulmate yet?" He accompanied his question with a gesture towards Kageyama's cheek, where a green star has already been drawn.

Checking his arm, Tobio frowns. "Not yet. Do you have a pen on you?"

"Of course. Tooru doesn't like it when I take too long to answer." Pulling out a black washable marker, he hands it to Kageyama who smiled and thanks him before walking off a fair distance.

"Hey," He writes. "Where do you want to meet?"

It takes a moment and then, "We're meeting up with our old teammate first so unless the volleyball group as split up, I could meet you there."

"Alright." Kageyama agrees. "I'll see you soon."

"Yup!" His soulmate writes and Kageyama smiles before going to return the marker to Iwaizumi. However just as he reaches the spiky haired ace, he hears an all too familiar yell.

"Kageyama!!!"

That's all the warning he gets before a blur of orange tackles him with a hug. "Uf." The air gets knocked out of him as the unexpected hug makes him fall to the ground.

"Hinata?! What the hell?!" He asks, frantically shoving the redhead off of him.

"We came to surprise you! Are you surprised Yamayama-kun?" Hinata nearly shouts, bouncing up in down with way more energy than usually.

"You wish." He scowls, before Hinata's words sink in. "Wait, what do you mean "we"?"

"We're here too King." Tsukishima's bored drawl reaches his ears and Kageyama looks up. Only for his jaw to immediately drop.

"Well," He says wryly. "I guess you ruined your own surprise."

\-------

"You're disappointed. Aren't you?" Kageyama asks a few minutes later, after they left Hinata and Tsukishima behind to chat with a friendly Goshiki.

"What?!" Yamaguchi asks, finally snapping out of his embarrassed daze. "Why would you say that? Of course I'm not disappointed. Why would I be? You're amazing!"

"Not everyone thinks so." Kageyama points out, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well then they must be idiots." Yamaguchi defends his soulmate, only to immediately blush sometime once he realizes what he said. Looking down at the table, he shyly continues. "If anything, I'm kind of relieved that it's you."

"Relieved? Why?" That doesn't make any sense.

"Well for starters, I know you so it isn't as awkward as meeting someone for the first time. I also may have had a crush on you back in high school? Still do technically, it was just kind of pushed aside in favor of the one I had on my soulmate."

"Wait, really?" Kageyama asks in shock. "I never knew."

"Yeah well you can be kind of oblivious when it comes to noticing people's feelings. Not that that's a bad thing, it's just, you know... a thing."

"Yeah I understand." Kageyama nods because for once he actually does. "I, um, does this mean you want to date me?" He questions, stubbornly ignoring the blood rushing to his cheeks.

"I- yes." Yamaguchi confesses, and wow Kageyama didn't even know that humans could turn so red. "But of course, only if you want to. I don't want to force you or anything." He rambles. 

"You wouldn't be forcing me," Tobio interrupts. 

"I wouldn't?" Yamaguchi squeaks and wow, he didn't know humans could get so red.

"Of course not." He says angling forward until their lips are almost touching. "Because I feel the same way."

\-------

In the end, it's a scarlet faced Yamaguchi who finally surges forward and presses their lips together only to immediately pull back with an embarrassed squeak.

"I can't believe I just did that." He whispers to himself and Kageyama grins.

"If you want, you can do it again." He suggests and hesitantly Yamaguchi does. Because they're soulmates. And they're crushes. And no one's going to stop them.

Especially not Kageyama's mom.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @datgayrainbow but if not, Comments and Kudos are always welcome.
> 
> Once again, thanks for reading!


End file.
